diplo-

1. a combining form meaning “double,” “in pairs,” used in the formation of compound words:

   diplococcus.

diplo-

combining_form

1. double

   diplococcus

Word History and Origins

Origin of diplo-¹

< Greek, combining form of diplóos twofold

Word History and Origins

Origin of diplo-¹

from Greek, from diploos, from di- ¹+ -ploos -fold

Example Sentences

She uploaded it to MySpace, and “messaged Diplo every day for two months through MySpace.”

From The Daily Beast

Truth be told, Patrick and Diplo [who hosts SoundClash] were neck and neck in my dream wish list for this show.

From The Daily Beast

The hyper-nuanced linguistic interpretations of European diplo-speak were absurd.

From The Daily Beast

Instant reactions ranging from the puzzled (New Yorker) to the confused (Diplo).

From The Daily Beast

Holbrooke, by contrast, was all bright colors even when forced into diplo-speak.

From The Daily Beast

If none of the foregoing is observed but only diplo- or streptococci, these indicate one-plane division only.

From Project Gutenberg

Diplo-, Greek for double, as Diplostemonous, with two sets of stamens.

From Project Gutenberg

If only two cells cohere, it is called a diplo-coccus (twin-coccus).

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use Diplo-

What does diplo- mean?

Diplo- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “double” or “in pairs.” This form is frequently used in scientific terms, especially in zoology and botany.

Diplo- comes from Greek diplóos, meaning “twofold” or “double-folded.” Distantly related is Latin duplex, which also literally means “twofold.”

What are variants of diplo-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, diplo- becomes dipl-, as in diploid.

Examples of diplo-

One example of a term that features diplo- you may have seen is diplodocus, “a huge herbivorous dinosaur of the genus Diplodocus, growing to a length of about 87 feet.” Diplodocus comes from the New Latin Diplodocus, which uses the equivalent of the form diplo-.

Dippy was revealed to the public #OTD in 1905 and he became an instant star. Hear from the Diplodocus himself as he shares some of his memorable moments from the Museum Archives. https://t.co/rk6niJ0MlM pic.twitter.com/euLY6n220t

— Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) May 12, 2018

As we know, diplo- means “double,” while the -docus part of diplodocus means “beam, bar, shaft,” from Greek dokós. Diplodocus literally translates to “double beams,” a reference to the double row of bones in its tail.

What are some words that use the combining form diplo- or dipl-?

• diplobiont
• diplocardia
• diplogenesis
• diploid
• diplomyelia
• diplophase
• diplophonia (using the equivalent form of diplo- in Latin)

What are some other forms that diplo- may be commonly confused with?

• dep.
• di-
• pleo-

Not every word that begins with the letters diplo- is necessarily using the combining form diplo- to mean “double.” Diploma and diplomatic are two such examples. Both of these words, as it happens, ultimately come from the same root as diplo-, but they aren’t using diplo- as a combining form. Learn why diploma is a type of document and why diplomatic means “tactful” at our entry for each word.

Break it down!

In suffix -oid means “resembling, like.” With this in mind, what does diploid mean?